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Iowa Football: If playoff rankings only reflected resume through Week 9

By Matt Opad

IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 23: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions visits with head coach Kirk Ferentz of the Iowa Hawkeyes before their match-up on September 23, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 23: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions visits with head coach Kirk Ferentz of the Iowa Hawkeyes before their match-up on September 23, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OH – OCTOBER 7: Chase Young #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes hits quarterback Max Bortenschlager #18 of the Maryland Terrapins in the backfield causing a fumble in the third quarter at Ohio Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Maryland 62.14. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – OCTOBER 7: Chase Young #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes hits quarterback Max Bortenschlager #18 of the Maryland Terrapins in the backfield causing a fumble in the third quarter at Ohio Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Maryland 62.14. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

Playoff Contenders – Top 6 Resumes

812. . (8-0). . Buckeyes . 1. team

Ohio State has the best resume primarily due to the cumulative amount of wins the teams they’ve defeated have. The 32 combined wins of their opponents are the most of any FBS team by five wins.

Tigers . 2. team. 879. . (8-0).

Most people dismiss the Tigers because of the perceived weakness of the ACC. However, the Clemson Tigers have seven wins over Power 5 teams, which for whatever reason is overlooked.

806. . (7-0). . Nittany Lions . 3. team

Penn State, with wins over six-win Iowa and six-win Michigan, have one of the best overall resumes. The game against Idaho, an FCS opponent, is the only reason that Penn State isn’t in the top 2 of these rankings.

4. team. 817. . (7-0). . Tigers

Both Penn State and LSU have beaten seven teams with a combined 27 wins. Both teams have three road victories. Virtually the only thing separating LSU from Penn State is the Nittany Lion’s six Power 5 wins against LSU’s five.

Crimson Tide . 5. team. 829. . (8-0).

While many would completely dismiss a ranking system that has an undefeated Alabama team on the outside looking in, the Crimson Tide just haven’t done as much as the previous four teams have, and it’s not particularly close. The 18 combined wins of the teams Alabama has beaten puts them well below most other undefeated teams.

6. team. 852. . (7-0). . Golden Gophers

Alright, shut it all down. Minnesota cannot have the sixth-best resume, right? With three road wins, five Power 5 wins, and 19 combined wins of teams defeated, the Golden Gophers find themselves just behind Alabama. This, perhaps more than any other individual ranking, should prove that this does not reflect what I, or any Iowa football fan for that matter, want to see.

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